{ character profile }
♣ Player Information
Name: Tsuki
Journal: wasurenaikara
Age: 20
IM: xX niekochana Xx
Email: contests.go.here@gmail.com
Timezone: EST
♥ Character Information
Name: Shera Highwind
Age: 32
Personality: At this point in her life, Shera is significantly different from the person she was during the events of FFVII proper. Back then she was still overwhelmed by her guilt of having crushed the dream of someone she cared deeply about, but those misunderstandings and setbacks have since then been cleared up and this has allowed her to become a much more well-adjusted person. She is married to the only man she has ever had eyes for and has endless work to see to, which she finds to be more a blessing than a curse. In fact, repeated near brushes with the apocalypse aside, her life couldn't be better. She's with the man of her dreams (and possibly only her dreams) and is able to spend her days working towards bettering the world doing what she is truly passionate for. The future is a bright thing for her, and she looks forward to every day.
For the most part, Shera is a patient person who puts the welfare of others before her own. She has a tendency to worry a bit too much, but she'll cite that she has good reason when it comes to that hotheaded husband of hers and the strange ensemble of friends he keeps. She's extremely devoted to what she does and who she is doing as well as her husband, and there is no such thing as a half-hearted attempt for her. Everything and anything she undertakes, she commits herself to completely.
As a scientist, she is well-established enough. She is by no means a genius, but she is intelligent and is meticulous in her work. Everything is checked and double-checked, and she only proceeds when she has a high degree of certainty in what she is doing. Her cautious nature makes her a reliable scientist, but it also keeps her from taking the necessary risks to make any significant scientific breakthroughs. She's fine with that though, as she's not a particularly ambitious person. In her opinion, not everyone was meant for great things. She's content to support the dreams of others and is the kind of girl who dreams of simple things, like a home and a family and someone to grow old with.
Strengths: Shera is thorough in her work and always cautious. She is intelligent, she is strong, and more than anything she is a self-reliant woman who thrives upon taking care of others, something every group of world-saving heroes needs. She never needs someone to take care of her, and doesn't feel right unless she has someone to take care of. She is patient almost to a fault, but if she is pushed past her breaking point, oh Hell hath no fury in comparison. She's married to Cid, after all, and it wouldn't have lasted past the first week if she didn't know how to properly handle him.
Another one of her pillar strengths is her ability to be anything but the hero. It takes great strength to be the one on the front lines, but it takes equal strength to be the one left behind, to hold everything together without knowing if the person who has left will be ever back again. Shera is steadfast in this, and can always offer a word or lend an ear to her fellow civilians as their heroes leave time and time again to save their world.
Weaknesses: Despite all the great progress she has made with the help of a wonderful husband and their friends, Shera still carries with her some of the insecurities that have plagued her all her life. She is quick to second-guess herself, and she does not consider herself on the same level as everyone else. She does not think of herself as someone who can change the world in any large way, and leaves that to those who actually bear wings. Her sense of self-worth is still somewhat skewed, and she feels ineffective compared to those around her. She considers herself someone who takes care of the birds because it is better to watch them fly than to fool herself into believing she could ever soar as one of them. She also worries too much over and over thinks almost every situation, stressing herself out almost all the time.
History: Rocket Town was where Shera was born and raised. Her mother died when she was young, and because her father would never talk about it, Shera never found out how or exactly when. What little she remembered of life before her mother died was that it was peaceful, and that she was happy. After her mother's death, though, everything changed. Her father never got over the loss, and didn't know what to do with himself because he had depended on her mother for so much. It wasn't long before he reduced himself to nothing more than a sorry drunk. Most of the money he made went straight to the liquor cabinet, and they relied heavily on the kindness of neighbors. Most of the residents of Rocket Town took pity on the mess they were, with the tragedy of losing Shera's mom so young. They would bring by dinner because Shera's dad had never touched a stove in his life, and Shera would have the leftovers for breakfast and lunch for most of her childhood.
As she grew older, Shera learned to look after her own father and by the time she was nine, she was already taking care of all the household chores and could cook a decent dinner even though there wasn't always a lot to work with. She balanced it all with her schoolwork, already mature enough to realize she would have to do well to qualify for a job to better support the two of them once she was grown. However, even as Shera was growing and maturing, her father was becoming gradually worse. He became more bitter as the years passed, more discontent and spiteful of how his life had turned out. Nothing Shera was ever good enough for him, and he took out his frustrations by berating her constantly. He called her vicious names and at times even raised his hand at her. Over the years, this completely tore apart Shera's self esteem and sense of worth. She weathered all of her father's abuse and never complained because she saw him still as a man who had endured the loss of the person he loved. She sympathized with him, and she loved him because at the end of the day, even she was mopping the dinner she had made off the floor where he had thrown it, he was still her father.
Shera took care of her father well into her twenties, but it was around this time that she secured herself a job as a scientist for Rocket Town's Space Program. Her free time became scarcer, and she had less of it to spend looking after her father. He reacted to it badly and began drinking and fighting with Shera more. It was only weeks before the launch of the shuttle that Shera's father's liver finally gave out on him, and he passed away at home while she was at work. This came as a terrible shock to Shera, and the days that followed she was in a complete daze. She had never not had anyone to take care of before, had never not had anyone to go home to before. With nothing else to occupy her time, she threw herself into her work completely.
Over the long months working with the Space Program, Shera had developed a great deal of respect for the program's rough-around-the-edges captain. He was an infinitely strong person who wasn't afraid to dream the way she was, who carried himself with such purpose and determination that Shera couldn't help but admire him. She clung tightly to her work, to fulfilling his dream, because it was all she had left in her life. Her mental state was such that she couldn't handle the idea of him failing, and she wanted everything on launch day to go perfectly. When the results of the oxygen tank test came back as unsatisfactory, she made the decision to stay behind and make last-minute repairs even though she knew it would in all likeliness cost her, her life. There was no one to miss her, and she was in such a bad way that she didn't think it would be a bad way to go. It gave her a sense of validation, that she was able to do something worthwhile with her life.
She never expected Cid cancel the launch for her sake. Certainly no one else involved in the launch was willing to abort for a simple researcher and technician. But he did, and by sparing her life he effectively destroyed his lifelong dream, and when he came to blame Shera for it afterwards, she accepted his treatment of her without question. In the months that followed, she came to live with him to better take care of him, trying to somehow make up for what she had cost him in whatever way she could. He treated her terribly, but he never hit her and there were days when she saw some of the old Captain in him and hoped the past would one day stop haunting him. He was a sorry lot, but he was her sorry lot, and she so badly needed someone to take care of.
When Cloud and company came knocking, Shera stayed behind to mind the house and Cid's various works-in-progress as the few of them ran off to save the world. In that bid, it was revealed that Shera had been right about the oxygen tanks, and with that closure the two of them were able to finally put the past behind them. When all was said and done, she was there to welcome him home when he came back in much better spirits.
Though they grew steadily closer with the past behind them, the next development in their relationship did not happen until Geostigma began to infect the world, claiming Shera among the sick. Though the disease was cured before it took her life, the near miss reminded the both of them how the world and life waited for no one. Though the two of them never quite told anyone how it came about, they were married not long after and began a life together. All of this helped Shera as a person immensely, mending much of the damage growing up with her father caused her.
♠ Roleplaying Samples
First person:
Captain, if you're wondering where your keys to the Shera went, I have them. You've gone three months without a full ship diagnostic! What were you thinking? You're already flying this contraption all over all of creation without understanding 70% of its technology and now you're flying it untuned.
No, this ship is staying docked until every air vent and propeller and fuel tank is checked and checked again, and anything that needs to be fixed is fixed.
And if you're wondering where the key to the liquor cabinet is, I have that too.
Third person:
He came home with a black eye and a split lip, body scored with fresh bruises and scrapes. His knuckles were visibly cut, and the strong smell of smoke and alcohol lingered on his clothes. There was a limp in his gait, and to top it all off, Cid was grinning like a maniac as he tracked mud all over their front landing and into the living room, happier than Shera had seen him in days. Stupid-happy, she liked to call it, with how ridiculous goofy he got to looking when he was this way. He half sat, half fell into his armchair, and Shera went over to catch him by the arm before he landed on his face, easing him back into the seat.
"What happened to you, Captain?" she sighed, unearthing the med kit she kept under the coffee table as she spoke.
"Some fuckin' punk got what was coming to him. Bastard, tried to get the best of me but I showed that little fucker! Aha!" came his answer, prouder than anything. Shaking her head, Shera began to dab at Cid's cut lip with a wipe, though there was very little she could do about all the bruises.
"You've got to stop with these bar fights," she chided him quietly. "Hold still--" she shushed him immediately after as he tried to answer, grip on his jaw tightening just a fraction so she could finish cleaning the wound. She listened to him recount his victory in a play-by-play as she bandaged his hands, then made himself a cup of tea to unwind with.
"Hey, Shera?" he asked once she had placed the cup in his hands. "Don't tell me you're pissed." She looked up at him in surprise, smiling as she shook her head and leaned close to brush a kiss against one scruffy cheek.
"Of course not, Captain. You're safe, and that's what matters," she answered as she straightened again. "You know I still love you." And with that she handed him a blanket and a throw pillow, then turned and left for the bedroom, locking the door behind her.
Name: Tsuki
Journal: wasurenaikara
Age: 20
IM: xX niekochana Xx
Email: contests.go.here@gmail.com
Timezone: EST
♥ Character Information
Name: Shera Highwind
Age: 32
Personality: At this point in her life, Shera is significantly different from the person she was during the events of FFVII proper. Back then she was still overwhelmed by her guilt of having crushed the dream of someone she cared deeply about, but those misunderstandings and setbacks have since then been cleared up and this has allowed her to become a much more well-adjusted person. She is married to the only man she has ever had eyes for and has endless work to see to, which she finds to be more a blessing than a curse. In fact, repeated near brushes with the apocalypse aside, her life couldn't be better. She's with the man of her dreams (and possibly only her dreams) and is able to spend her days working towards bettering the world doing what she is truly passionate for. The future is a bright thing for her, and she looks forward to every day.
For the most part, Shera is a patient person who puts the welfare of others before her own. She has a tendency to worry a bit too much, but she'll cite that she has good reason when it comes to that hotheaded husband of hers and the strange ensemble of friends he keeps. She's extremely devoted to what she does and who she is doing as well as her husband, and there is no such thing as a half-hearted attempt for her. Everything and anything she undertakes, she commits herself to completely.
As a scientist, she is well-established enough. She is by no means a genius, but she is intelligent and is meticulous in her work. Everything is checked and double-checked, and she only proceeds when she has a high degree of certainty in what she is doing. Her cautious nature makes her a reliable scientist, but it also keeps her from taking the necessary risks to make any significant scientific breakthroughs. She's fine with that though, as she's not a particularly ambitious person. In her opinion, not everyone was meant for great things. She's content to support the dreams of others and is the kind of girl who dreams of simple things, like a home and a family and someone to grow old with.
Strengths: Shera is thorough in her work and always cautious. She is intelligent, she is strong, and more than anything she is a self-reliant woman who thrives upon taking care of others, something every group of world-saving heroes needs. She never needs someone to take care of her, and doesn't feel right unless she has someone to take care of. She is patient almost to a fault, but if she is pushed past her breaking point, oh Hell hath no fury in comparison. She's married to Cid, after all, and it wouldn't have lasted past the first week if she didn't know how to properly handle him.
Another one of her pillar strengths is her ability to be anything but the hero. It takes great strength to be the one on the front lines, but it takes equal strength to be the one left behind, to hold everything together without knowing if the person who has left will be ever back again. Shera is steadfast in this, and can always offer a word or lend an ear to her fellow civilians as their heroes leave time and time again to save their world.
Weaknesses: Despite all the great progress she has made with the help of a wonderful husband and their friends, Shera still carries with her some of the insecurities that have plagued her all her life. She is quick to second-guess herself, and she does not consider herself on the same level as everyone else. She does not think of herself as someone who can change the world in any large way, and leaves that to those who actually bear wings. Her sense of self-worth is still somewhat skewed, and she feels ineffective compared to those around her. She considers herself someone who takes care of the birds because it is better to watch them fly than to fool herself into believing she could ever soar as one of them. She also worries too much over and over thinks almost every situation, stressing herself out almost all the time.
History: Rocket Town was where Shera was born and raised. Her mother died when she was young, and because her father would never talk about it, Shera never found out how or exactly when. What little she remembered of life before her mother died was that it was peaceful, and that she was happy. After her mother's death, though, everything changed. Her father never got over the loss, and didn't know what to do with himself because he had depended on her mother for so much. It wasn't long before he reduced himself to nothing more than a sorry drunk. Most of the money he made went straight to the liquor cabinet, and they relied heavily on the kindness of neighbors. Most of the residents of Rocket Town took pity on the mess they were, with the tragedy of losing Shera's mom so young. They would bring by dinner because Shera's dad had never touched a stove in his life, and Shera would have the leftovers for breakfast and lunch for most of her childhood.
As she grew older, Shera learned to look after her own father and by the time she was nine, she was already taking care of all the household chores and could cook a decent dinner even though there wasn't always a lot to work with. She balanced it all with her schoolwork, already mature enough to realize she would have to do well to qualify for a job to better support the two of them once she was grown. However, even as Shera was growing and maturing, her father was becoming gradually worse. He became more bitter as the years passed, more discontent and spiteful of how his life had turned out. Nothing Shera was ever good enough for him, and he took out his frustrations by berating her constantly. He called her vicious names and at times even raised his hand at her. Over the years, this completely tore apart Shera's self esteem and sense of worth. She weathered all of her father's abuse and never complained because she saw him still as a man who had endured the loss of the person he loved. She sympathized with him, and she loved him because at the end of the day, even she was mopping the dinner she had made off the floor where he had thrown it, he was still her father.
Shera took care of her father well into her twenties, but it was around this time that she secured herself a job as a scientist for Rocket Town's Space Program. Her free time became scarcer, and she had less of it to spend looking after her father. He reacted to it badly and began drinking and fighting with Shera more. It was only weeks before the launch of the shuttle that Shera's father's liver finally gave out on him, and he passed away at home while she was at work. This came as a terrible shock to Shera, and the days that followed she was in a complete daze. She had never not had anyone to take care of before, had never not had anyone to go home to before. With nothing else to occupy her time, she threw herself into her work completely.
Over the long months working with the Space Program, Shera had developed a great deal of respect for the program's rough-around-the-edges captain. He was an infinitely strong person who wasn't afraid to dream the way she was, who carried himself with such purpose and determination that Shera couldn't help but admire him. She clung tightly to her work, to fulfilling his dream, because it was all she had left in her life. Her mental state was such that she couldn't handle the idea of him failing, and she wanted everything on launch day to go perfectly. When the results of the oxygen tank test came back as unsatisfactory, she made the decision to stay behind and make last-minute repairs even though she knew it would in all likeliness cost her, her life. There was no one to miss her, and she was in such a bad way that she didn't think it would be a bad way to go. It gave her a sense of validation, that she was able to do something worthwhile with her life.
She never expected Cid cancel the launch for her sake. Certainly no one else involved in the launch was willing to abort for a simple researcher and technician. But he did, and by sparing her life he effectively destroyed his lifelong dream, and when he came to blame Shera for it afterwards, she accepted his treatment of her without question. In the months that followed, she came to live with him to better take care of him, trying to somehow make up for what she had cost him in whatever way she could. He treated her terribly, but he never hit her and there were days when she saw some of the old Captain in him and hoped the past would one day stop haunting him. He was a sorry lot, but he was her sorry lot, and she so badly needed someone to take care of.
When Cloud and company came knocking, Shera stayed behind to mind the house and Cid's various works-in-progress as the few of them ran off to save the world. In that bid, it was revealed that Shera had been right about the oxygen tanks, and with that closure the two of them were able to finally put the past behind them. When all was said and done, she was there to welcome him home when he came back in much better spirits.
Though they grew steadily closer with the past behind them, the next development in their relationship did not happen until Geostigma began to infect the world, claiming Shera among the sick. Though the disease was cured before it took her life, the near miss reminded the both of them how the world and life waited for no one. Though the two of them never quite told anyone how it came about, they were married not long after and began a life together. All of this helped Shera as a person immensely, mending much of the damage growing up with her father caused her.
♠ Roleplaying Samples
First person:
Captain, if you're wondering where your keys to the Shera went, I have them. You've gone three months without a full ship diagnostic! What were you thinking? You're already flying this contraption all over all of creation without understanding 70% of its technology and now you're flying it untuned.
No, this ship is staying docked until every air vent and propeller and fuel tank is checked and checked again, and anything that needs to be fixed is fixed.
And if you're wondering where the key to the liquor cabinet is, I have that too.
Third person:
He came home with a black eye and a split lip, body scored with fresh bruises and scrapes. His knuckles were visibly cut, and the strong smell of smoke and alcohol lingered on his clothes. There was a limp in his gait, and to top it all off, Cid was grinning like a maniac as he tracked mud all over their front landing and into the living room, happier than Shera had seen him in days. Stupid-happy, she liked to call it, with how ridiculous goofy he got to looking when he was this way. He half sat, half fell into his armchair, and Shera went over to catch him by the arm before he landed on his face, easing him back into the seat.
"What happened to you, Captain?" she sighed, unearthing the med kit she kept under the coffee table as she spoke.
"Some fuckin' punk got what was coming to him. Bastard, tried to get the best of me but I showed that little fucker! Aha!" came his answer, prouder than anything. Shaking her head, Shera began to dab at Cid's cut lip with a wipe, though there was very little she could do about all the bruises.
"You've got to stop with these bar fights," she chided him quietly. "Hold still--" she shushed him immediately after as he tried to answer, grip on his jaw tightening just a fraction so she could finish cleaning the wound. She listened to him recount his victory in a play-by-play as she bandaged his hands, then made himself a cup of tea to unwind with.
"Hey, Shera?" he asked once she had placed the cup in his hands. "Don't tell me you're pissed." She looked up at him in surprise, smiling as she shook her head and leaned close to brush a kiss against one scruffy cheek.
"Of course not, Captain. You're safe, and that's what matters," she answered as she straightened again. "You know I still love you." And with that she handed him a blanket and a throw pillow, then turned and left for the bedroom, locking the door behind her.